By Will Rubin
wrubin@chronline.com
CHEHALIS — Both the Rochester and W.F. West girls soccer teams played an Evergreen League contest Tuesday without key players in uniform.
Lauren Tornow and Courtney Bennett each suited up for the Bearcats. That along with strong play in the midfield was enough to propel W.F. West to what could be a crucial 4-0 win in Chehalis.
Tornow and Bennett each recorded a goal and an assist in the match. The depleted Rochester (1-9 overall, 1-3) side held on as long as it could, but conceded three goals by W.F. West (3-6-1, 2-2) early in the second half.
The win puts W.F. West a game ahead of Rochester in the battle for one of the four state playoff spots out of the Evergreen League. The Warriors are tied with Centralia for the last postseason berth.
“We were short five varsity players tonight,” Rochester coach Robert McFadden said. “We had girls who had been out with 102-degree fevers coming back in time to play this game, but we lost two of them in the second half. Three girls started in their first varsity game, and (W.F. West) exposed some chemistry issues because of that.”
The Bearcats controlled the match from the outset thanks to Tornow’s goal in the fifth minute. She ran onto a through ball from Kaylynne Dowling and slotted it into the net after Warriors keeper Madison Bates stopped her initial shot.
Rochester struggled to possess the ball during a first half in which it did not record a shot on goal. W.F. West coach Allen Anderson credited his entire midfield for not allowing the Warriors to set up many attacking runs.
“We did a great job of not giving them opportunities,” Anderson said. “Then our midfielders did a great job finding runners in space. I think tonight was our most complete defensive effort.”
Anderson didn’t allow his team to enjoy its 1-0 halftime lead for long. He doled out “tough love” to try and keep the girls focused on executing the plan they had in place, which they did once play resumed.
Bennett took a pass from Tornow in the 42nd minute and banked it off the right post for a goal. Abbey Duffey curled in a free kick from 20 yards out in the 47th minute. Olivia Calderon took a cross from Bennett and converted a nifty back-heel score in the 56th minute to wrap up the onslaught.
Rochester defenders began shadowing Tornow more closely late in the first half after she’d already attempted a few shots on goal. That opened up the other side of the field for Bennett, Alida Ellingson and Madi Mencke to push the ball upfield.
“We definitely needed to pick up the intensity at halftime, and that’s what we did,” Bennett said. “We talked about how they were sucking over to (Tornow) and that the other side was wide open. We knew their back line played high and we did a better job of crashing the goal in the second half.”
Rochester is slated to host Aberdeen at 7 p.m. on Monday, while W.F. West will travel to face Centralia at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Tumwater Drops Centralia 7-0
TUMWATER — Centralia had some key players missing against Tumwater here on Thursday night and it showed, with the Thunderbirds earning a 7-0 win in an Evergreen 2A Conference girls soccer game.
The Thunderbirds scored five goals in the first half and was able to sub out their starting lineup in the second half.
Centralia coach Henry Gallanger said he was happy with the performance from Laura Gerringer, playing goalkeeper due to starter Bailea Brown unable to play.
“Tumwater by far is the best team we’ve faced all season. We were pretty shorthanded tonight,” Gallanger said. “Our players hung in against a tough team tonight, it was a good learning experience for them.”
Gallanger said Makiah Harris did a good job playing on the back line tonight for the Tigers.
Centralia (2-8, 1-3) hosts W.F. West on Tuesday in a Swamp Cup match.

Hoquiam Edges Tenino
TENINO — Hoquiam handed Tenino their first 1A Evergreen League loss of the season here on Wednesday in a 2-1 Grizzlies win.
The Beavers scored first in the 30th minute, with Brieanna Dell finding Lara Kershaw for the goal. Emily McFadden scored two minutes later for Hoquiam to tie the game at one at halftime.
In the second half, the lone goal was scored by Hoquiam’s Taylor Strom.
The Beavers tallied 13 shots on goal, and Schultz credited Hoquiam goalkeeper Jade Cox for keeping the Grizzlies in the game.
“We played alright. We did the things we normally do, we connected pases and created chances,” Tenino coach Kevin Schultz said. “I thought we did a good job of creating chances. We made some mistakes we don’t normally make, credit to them for taking advantage of opportunities they got.”
Tenino (8-2-1, 2-1) travels to Montesano on Tuesday in a league game.

WF West’s Lauren Tornow (6) puts her knee on the ball to score a goal Thursday evening in Chehalis.